lure tips to make a lure work better! plus making your own plugs!!!
Tip 1 add a trailer hook to your lure for short striking fish u may have to spread the eye a bit to get it past the barb on the hook
Tip 2 you can use prizm tape or clear nail polish with glitter in it to get more flash
Tip 3 on lures that are fish worn bad you can tighten them up with super glue on the eyelet hook threads 
Tip 4 on chipped paint you can restore with spray paint very carefully add some flash and then clear coat in polyurethane for a tuff finish 
Tip 5 take a worm hook and add that to the back of a lure and then add a cut tail section off a worm or a rear lizard half or grub for more action
Tip 6 on jigs that are worn same deal take a knife then get the paint off and hit it with some colored glittered nail polish some colors are pearled too i use the lime greens in flouro mostly with glitter for this 
Tip 7 to make a minnow floater splash more cut half the spoon bill off with a small hacksaw this works well on the surface 
Tip 8 to make  a deep diver snagless in thick weeds and matt take the treble hooks right off now replace with a weedless wire gaurd single hook only on the rear tail same thing goes with ratl traps and deep divers 
Tip 9 flatfish getting lame? add a tail to it made from a dowel i use maple or ash then paint to match lure and then add a treble under neath the tail toward the rear , this wiggles nicely when used slow and works well
Tip 10 take a ball bearing or regular swivel attach a blade then attach that to the rear of the lure on the eyelet post, i use willow blades they work better in the weeds
Tip 11 to make a lure ratl just drill a hole big enough to add a few bb's in then glue the hole shut with a drop of 5 minute 2 part epoxy you can also make the lure suspend by using tape in the sink to get the right amount of shot before you seal it up 
Tip 12 to make a lure nose foreward heavy take some light solder and wrap the hook shank with some of it 
Tip 13 you can also take a glass or plastic or aluminum rattle and glue it to the bill of the lure on top or under neath on both sides too for more noise
Tip 14 try c rigging a shad or a minnow in deep water i use floating and countdown minnows and shads with this and it pays off
Tip 15 to get a lure running straight just bend the side of the eyelet left or right till it tracks properly
Tip 16 if you have a hobby shop near by ask them for some chrome mylar tape it comes in different colors in chromes for model air planes but works better on lures
Tip 17 take a buzz blade chop the wire and make a loop on either end then attach it to a minnow with out the bill so the buzz blade is forward of the lure this cast fairly well and it really works nice on those days when its slow 
Tip 18 take some tinsel for jigs etc making and thread some in a needle thru a worm head then hit it with a drop of super glue to hold it then tex rig it with a bullet weight 
Tip 19 on buzz baits and v frame spinner baits the take a pliers and squash the loop together so you can use a swivel for kwik changes fast dont forget to rebend the top wire up again for clearance as well
Tip 20 when you add  single hook to a lure on the rear use half the tail of a plastic shad then take a razor and cut the tail in 1 inch straight down top to bottom so the tail is split for more action out of it u an quarter it sideways to
to get four moving parts in 2 cuts to max it out
Tip 21 make a wounded looking popper take some red nail polish and paint the mouth and an area under it on the belly for more hits 
Tip 22 take a bullet weight and peg it just forward of the swivel on your spinner baits for a more weedless design with less snags excellent for deep divers in shad and minnows 
Tip 23 on trailer hooks on spinner baits point the hook downard for those fish who who hit short underneath 
Tip 24 add garlic salt or reg salt to your plastics in the bag and shake the salts it will adhere to the plastic in time for a better hit 
Tip 25 never add scents to lures sometimes the finish will lift or smear with some stuff and on jigs it turns the rubber to a sticky goo 
Tip 26 on all cranks try adding some feathered tails or haired tails with some holo tinsel to them for a more life like look
Tip 27 on lures with deep dish mouth like on poppers take a swivel and cut the ball off the end then attach to the lure if you dont have any small rings  for easier attaching
these lures were made from hardware store ash or maple dowels with spray painting and a few dips in poly urethane and a few eyelets you very well can do this ,i used a drill with a drywall screw to hold the dowel in place then lathed it down with a file while dowel was in a hole in a wood board then sanded for painting to 220 grit finish then dusted off good .some of the torpedos in here will get rear spinning props with a little effort and time you can also make rebel or rapala style or even flat fish if you take your time , you can also do it by hand with a file and a knife with some time as well  also use a fast drying spray paint , the polyurethane will take a while to dry and cure up hard but leaves for a highly glossy finish